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Considering RB-61 II, The Sixes or RP-160M for Office


Youthman

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Currently have a pair of KG 3.2 and a Denon AVR 2703CI Receiver in my office.  My KG 3.2 are on laying on their sides on a pair of bookshelves and were flanking a small computer desk.

 

After getting a larger desk and rearranging my office, my KG 3.2 are now behind me firing at the back of my head so I'm thinking of getting a pair of bookshelf speakers and maybe placing them on shelves on the wall in front of my desk.

 

I was originally considering the RB-61 or RB-61 II as these have always sounded good to me but have recently begun to consider The Sixes or the RP-160M.

 

RB-61 II - Estimated $200 - $250 Used, $340 Shipped New
RP-160M - Estimated $350 shipped New

The Sixes - Estimated $550 shipped New

 

My office is 11'  x 12' and I really can't crank them since there are other staff in the office.  Just like to have some good sounding music on occasion. 
 

I'm not sure what KG 3.2 in Walnut Oil are worth since I bought them in a "Lot" and don't see them very often on my local Craigslist.

 

If I bought The Sixes, I would sell my Denon and KG 3.2.
If I bought the RB-61 II or RP-160M, I would sell just the KG 3.2.

 

I have not heard the RP-160M or The Sixes so I wanted to get some feedback, especially from guys that have heard them firsthand. 

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Hey it's not sure if this correlates are helps but I'll give you my opinion based on owning kg 4.2 for 20 plus years and switching over to rp 280f s...  it took me some time to get used to the to 80s after getting them they seem to have a much more detailed smooth sound than the kg 4.2 did and are excellent acoustic guitars Etc...  Others May disagree about  thiss, but i also find them to be unforgiving as in if the recording her mix wasn't done verywvery well it will definitely be noticed when you're using the two 80s....  I would think the difference would be about the same between the 160 and a 3.2s you are currently using... something you may want to consider for using these in the office environment...  on another note I'm curious if you are youth minister....  I only ask because I see that you're based in Florida and was wondering if maybe you were going to rock the universe.....?

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Thanks for the tips xo.  I haven't heard any of the Reference Premiere.

 

18 minutes ago, xo705cf said:

on another note I'm curious if you are youth minister....  I only ask because I see that you're based in Florida and was wondering if maybe you were going to rock the universe.....?

Yes, I've been a student pastor for 20 years thus "Youthman".  ;)  I recently stopped taking our youth to Rock the Universe in a few years.  It's an expensive night and I just didn't see the value other than a fun night for the kids.

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That's what I figured based on your name enjoy reading your post by the way, I'm going this year with a group but I understand where you coming from with the cost/value...  on another note I do think the RP line is awesome just took me time to get used to it....  however I think you've probably heard a lot more Klipsch models that I have based on your post... lol....the rp are very smooth listen, I would think they would be awesome in a 2-channel setting in an office

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6 minutes ago, xo705cf said:

I think you've probably heard a lot more Klipsch models that I have based on your post... lol

I've owned a few Klipsch speakers over the years.  All except the Palladiums below.

 

speaker-list-07-03-17.jpg

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I had the RP160's for a while and was very impressed with them. I believe they'd be the best sounding speakers, but I haven't heard the RB-61 II or the Sixes. I'd rate the RP160's up close to the RB75's. Which is great, but maybe not for a small office. They put out bass like a tower speaker. They're also rear ported and should have a little room to breathe. In your scenario the RB62 II may work better since they're front ported.

I've always loved the biggest speakers I can get. I've finally learned I get better sound out of going with what's right for the room. I'd swap the receiver for a integrated amp. For a 2 channel rig you'll get better quality ditching all the processing. The sixes look nice, but I've never been a fan of powered speakers.


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The RP-160M and The Sixes appear to have the same drivers and size enclosure as well as being both rear ported, if that is important to you. I elected to go with the larger RB-81ii's, as 'bigger is better', or so I thought. It and the RB-61ii seem to differ in 1 Hz for LF extension and 1 dB on SPL from the RB-81ii, both being front ported - which I needed due to my wishing to place them actually on bookshelves. I tried for most of a year to get accustomed to those behemeths on shelves - alone due to their 28lb weight -  and after accommodating  their height by removing a shelf. A year ago I acquired my '77 vintage pair of Heresys and placed them in front of the bookcases - wow! The RB-81ii's finally got some Monoprice HD24 stands for Christmas and are in the corners of my bonus/hobby room upstairs - where I can properly enjoy them. I still wanted the 61's... but just spent my discretionary funds on a MP-301 MK3 6.5Wpc SET amp, so no 61's for me... now! Great little amp, BTW!!

 

So... I'd likely go with a new pair of RB-61ii's... $340 shipped seems to be a deal. Most dealers - even Amazon - have a good return policy.

 

John

 

PS I gained my two bookshelves back on each side... at the expense of those Heresys, canted as they are, partially blocking the bottom two shelves. I can live with that as those Heresys sound great!

 

 

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11 hours ago, Stainz said:

The RP-160M and The Sixes appear to have the same drivers

I'm not sure that is accurate as they are made of different material.  One is copper while the other is black.

 

11 hours ago, Stainz said:

both rear ported, if that is important to you.

Seeing that I will need to mount them on actual bookshelves, I would likely be better off with a front ported speaker.

 

11 hours ago, Stainz said:

I elected to go with the larger RB-81ii's, as 'bigger is better', or so I thought.

I would think so too but for some reason, the RB-81 II didn't impress me that much in my living room but when I had the RB-61, I was really impressed with how they sounded, especially in the bass dept for a "smallish" bookshelf speaker.

 

11 hours ago, Stainz said:

 

So... I'd likely go with a new pair of RB-61ii's

That's what I've been leaning towards since the beginning.  Just trying to consider other options in case they are better.

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12 hours ago, Youthman said:

I'm not sure that is accurate as they are made of different material.  One is copper while the other is black.

I believe they are both paper/pulp cones and the copper finished Cerametallic speakers are coated. The earlier PRC made K. line, like my KB-15's, were graphite coated - looked dark grey. The LF response, SPL, crossover freq, and power handling are identical to the similar sized R-15M (Cerametallic LF driver) .  My point is that the coating may make some difference - but not much - and may be for advertising hype. I do believe that The Sixes may have cut corners to fit a price, with the veneers and electronics included in the mix. PRC-made like the other consumer products.

 

Seeing that I will need to mount them on actual bookshelves, I would likely be better off with a front ported speaker.

If you mount them on adjacent bookshelves at right angle to your listening position, they really won't sound very good!

 

I would think so too but for some reason, the RB-81 II didn't impress me that much in my living room ...

They really 'came alive' when I placed them on 24" stands in the corners of my carpeted  bonus room over my two car garage. The LF response seemed to drop a few Hz while the MF & HF dispersion  left no hot or cold spots from 5' to 12' out and off axis +/- 5' from the centerline of the 14+' width wall (The room is ~17 ft deep.). They really sound good!

 

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30 minutes ago, Stainz said:

I do believe that The Sixes may have cut corners to fit a price, with the veneers and electronics included in the mix. PRC-made like the other consumer products.

That's definitely something to consider.  I'm pretty sure I'm not willing to pay the premium for the Sixes.  I don't need the bluetooth capability.  I'm perfectly fine with having a 20' RCA to 3.5mm cable.

 

Here is the space I have to work with.  The thought is to have one speaker to the right of my monitor and the other to the left of my desk or on the corner of the desk so that each speaker is to the right and left of my monitors.

 

klipsch-kg-3.2-1.jpg

 

 

klipsch-kg-3.2-2.jpg

 

As you can see below, having the KG 3.2 behind me isn't ideal at all.

 

klipsch-kg-3.2-3.jpg

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Having had The Sixes, I can definitely say they are fantastic. The drivers are not the same as the RP-160. I only moved on to a different set because I like playing with different amps and added a switcher for desktop and floor standing speakers. The Sixes were just about the best desktop speakers I've ever had.

 

 

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Thanks Grizzog.  Looking at the photo above, would they do well on a bookshelf since they are rear ported?

 

I could move the smaller monitor on the right to the left of the larger monitor.  That would give me room to place one bookshelf to the right of the larger monitor and one to the left of the smaller monitor.

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